


Family

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: Hudson & Rex (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29055684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: A series of one-shots of Charlie and Sarah meeting the others' family members
Relationships: Charlie Hudson/Sarah Truong
Comments: 32
Kudos: 22





	1. Sarah's Parents

**Author's Note:**

> At the end of 2x18 (Old Dog, New Tricks) Charlie very casually mentioned that he's met Sarah's parents and I was like… excuse me…? How can we not know this???
> 
> From my minimal research, Truong is a Vietnamese name, so I’m writing that in (and if you’re Vietnamese, please forgive me if I get something wrong with my google translations). Also, Charlie joked that Sarah’s dad wasn’t the murdering type but her mom was, which is where I’m getting their personalities from. 
> 
> I’m not sure of the timing exactly, but this is set within the first few years of Charlie and Sarah working together.  
> I'm not quite sure if this is in character tbh, so let me know.  
> Enjoy :)

Charlie narrowly dodged the bullet, but Sarah's yelp of pain behind him caused both him and Rex to quickly spin around in concern, no longer worried about the perp running away.  
He rushed up to her while shouting, "were you hit?"

“It’s just a graze Charlie, go get him!”  
He examined her arm, it was just a graze and though he knew she'd be fine, he didn't want to leave her alone.  
She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"I’m fine. Go!"

There was only one way he'd be comfortable leaving her. They didn't know if the man had a partner, they suspected he didn't, but he wasn't willing to take that chance with Sarah hurt.  
Looking at Rex, he said, "stay."  
Rex barked, and happy, Charlie sprinted after the perp.

After catching up and handcuffing him, they started walking back, but slightly alarmed by Rex barking, he forced the perp to walk faster.  
Turning the corner, Charlie saw Rex in a protective stance, barking at a seemingly innocent bystander who was trying to help Sarah.  
Holding up his badge, Charlie called out, “it’s okay, I’m police, I’ve got it covered.”  
The man nodded and walked away.

A patrol car pulled up, and handing the perp over, he rushed to Sarah, giving Rex a pat on the head for taking care of her as he reached them.  
Taking out his clean handkerchief, he pressed it firmly against the wound, apologizing as she winced.  
"I'm sorry Sarah, but you need to keep pressure on the wound. It’s going to hurt but you have to press it tightly" 

Smiling faintly through the pain she must've been feeling, she said, "I'm a medical professional Charlie, I know what I'm doing." 

He carefully sat Sarah in the car and after Rex got in the back, they took off for the hospital.  
From next to him, Sarah suddenly said, “oh no!” and he looked at her in concern.  
She quickly spoke.  
“I’m okay Charlie, it’s not the injury,” he relaxed slightly, and she explained, “my parents are in town and I was meant to have dinner with them. I’ll have to push it back.”

“Sorry Sarah.”

She shrugged with her good arm.  
“It's okay, it's not your fault. I’m just worried about telling them why.”

Charlie chuckled.  
“Yeah, I can’t imagine any parent would be happy to hear that their child has been shot.”

”Yeah, they’ll both be worried, but my father will see that I’m okay and he’ll be fine, but I can’t say the same about my mother.”

Realising that they’d never really talked about her parents, it had never come up, he asked as she pulled out her phone, “where do they live?”

“In Toronto, but my mother, she’s a scientist, has a break right now and so my father, who works as a librarian, took some time off so that they could visit me.”

Charlie smiled.  
“A scientist huh?”

Smiling back, Sarah said, “yeah, and even though I ended up in a completely different field than her, it’s where my interest started.”

He smiled and drove in silence as Sarah called her parents. The conversation was in a mixture of English and Vietnamese, and he swore he could hear a woman’s voice on the other end of the line, even though it wasn’t on speaker.  
A few minutes later, Sarah hung up with a sigh.  
“They’re insisting on coming to the hospital, even though I assured them it was nothing serious.”

“They just want to make sure that you’re okay, it’s understandable.”

“It is, and while I absolutely love my parents, my mother can sometimes be a bit… intense.”  
Charlie chuckled, suddenly looked forward to meeting her parents. 

Rex leaped up onto the hospital bed next to Sarah, and the nurse eyed him warily, her disapproval clear even though she said nothing as she started the stitches. Sarah hissed in pain, clearly the local anesthetic hadn’t kicked in yet, and Rex whined and laid his head on her lap.  
Unable to help himself, Charlie sat on the edge of the bed next to Sarah and she gave him a tight smile.  
A few minutes later the nurse was done, and she left the room, promising to come back soon with discharge papers.  
The three of them sat on the bed, discussing the case, when a voice sounded from outside the door. Sarah smiled at him.  
“That’s definitely my mother.”

Charlie stood up, weirdly feeling like he had to make a good impression on them, and Rex jumped down as well, standing by his side.  
The door opened, and an elegant older woman walked in, and even if Sarah hadn’t said, he’d have known it was her mother. They looked remarkably similar. An older man walked in behind her, and ignoring him and Rex, they walked straight to Sarah, her mother saying, “you were shot?!”

Sarah gave her parents a reassuring smile.  
“I’m okay, it was just a graze and I’m already all stitched up.”  
Her mother tsked and moved closer, examining the wound for herself while her father came and put a gentle hand on Sarah’s knee making sure she really was okay.  
Charlie hung back, letting her parents have this moment. 

After a few moments, they finally looked away from Sarah, and her mother frowned slightly as her gaze landed on Rex.  
“This is a sterile environment. Should that dog really be here?”

Weirdly feeling slightly nervous, Charlie was about to answer but was cut off by Sarah’s sigh.  
“This is my… friend, Detective Charlie Hudson, and his partner, Rex.”

Her father smiled at them both, he seemed warm and friendly, but her mother didn’t seem too impressed, and somehow also sensing that they needed to make a good impression, Rex walked around the bed to her, sat, and held up his paw for a shake.  
Identical grins lit up his, Sarah’s and her father’s face, and her mother let out a reluctant smile as she shook his paw.  
“Lovely meeting you Rex.”  
He barked happily in response.

Feeling like it was now his turn, Charlie cleared his throat.  
“Mr and Mrs Truong -”

They both laughed and her father said, “I’m a Smith, Sarah took her mother’s last name. Please just call us John and Yen.”

Charlie smiled and nodded.  
“John and Yen, it's lovely meeting you both, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

"Likewise Detective. I'd prefer not having to meet my daughter while she's lying on a hospital bed." 

Sarah rolled her eyes and Charlie forced himself to hold in a smile, knowing that her mother wouldn't appreciate it. He'd never seen this side of Sarah and, he had to admit, he was enjoying it.  
"It's just a graze, in fact, I should be getting out of here soon." 

"Yen, honey, Sarah's fine." 

She turned to her husband.  
"Fine?" and turning back to Sarah said, “you are a _scientist_ Sarah, you shouldn’t be in the field with all the guns and danger!”

Charlie studied her energetic mother then her calm father, and decided that Sarah had definitely taken after the latter.

“It was just a graze má, I didn’t even get shot.”

And seeing that Sarah’s patience was starting to wear thin, Charlie quickly added, “it was completely my fault Yen. If I had known it was going to be dangerous, I would’ve never taken Sarah with me.”

Sarah shot him an appreciative look, seeming relieved that he’d taken some of the heat directed towards her, but quickly smiling at her, he returned his gaze to Sarah’s mother.  
As a police officer, he’d been on the receiving end of people sizing him up many times, but something about Sarah’s mother’s scrutiny was somehow more… nerve wracking. 

After a few beats, Yen nodded at him, seeing he was sincere, and he let out a breath of relief before she turned to Sarah and said, “tại sao anh cảnh sát đẹp trai này không giữ cho bạn an toàn?”  
What did that -

“Má!”  
Why was Sarah shocked by it?  
Wait, was she blushing slightly? What was happening?  
Rex rested his head on the bed near Sarah's hands, seeming to know that her mother wouldn't appreciate him jumping onto the bed like he had before, and Sarah instinctively started scratching his head as she and her mother talked in Vietnamese. 

Charlie wasn't quite sure what to do, and seeming to take pity on him, John walked next to him and said, “I’ve been married to Yen for almost 40 years and I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t picked up nearly as much Vietnamese as I’d have liked.”

Charlie chuckled.  
“You don’t know they’re saying either?”

John shrugged, “unfortunately no, not really.”  
Given that Charlie was a professional detective, he could tell John wasn’t exactly truthful, but he let it be, instead making a mental note to ask Sarah about it later. 

The nurse walked back in and handed the papers and aftercare instructions to Sarah.  
After reassuring her parents she really was fine, Sarah agreed to still have their dinner as planned, and her mother looked at him with a hint of a smile.  
“Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

Charlie was slightly surprised at the invitation. He wasn’t exactly sure where he stood with Sarah’s mother, and he looked at Sarah who waited for his answer.  
Turning to Yen, he said, “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll let you guys catch up.”  
Was it just him, or did Sarah seem slightly disappointed? 

Yen studied him for a few seconds then laughed. “You just don't want me telling you off for getting my daughter into danger.”

Everyone laughed at that, including him, and he said, “I admit, that is one of the reasons.”

Yen and John chuckled at his honesty, and the latter said, “fair enough Charlie,” and turning to Sarah, said, “we’ll bring the car to the front, come when you’re ready Sarah.”  
She nodded, and turning back to him, John said, “it was lovely meeting you Charlie, and you Rex.”  
Rex happily barked and they all chuckled.

Looking at him with a smile in her eyes, Sarah’s mother said, “you seem like a lovely man Charlie.”  
Charlie was surprised. That was an unexpected compliment, though not unwelcome.  
He turned to Sarah, a slightly questioning look in his eyes, but when she refused to meet his gaze, he turned back to her mother and, genuinely meaning it, said, “thank you.”

They left the room, and turning to Sarah, he said, “well that was fun,” she shook her head but there was a faint smile on her face, and grinning at her reaction, he added, “call me later to let me know that you’re okay.”

She raised an eyebrow.  
“You mean because of my injury or dinner with my parents?”

He laughed.  
“Nuh uh uh, I’m not saying anything bad about your mother.”

Laughing, Sarah replied, “I knew you were a smart one Charlie.”  
He chuckled, and giving Rex a scratch on the head and promising she’d call him later in the evening, she followed her parents out.

Charlie let out a sigh and looked at Rex.  
“Well _that_ was interesting.”  
Rex barked in agreement.


	2. Aunt Miranda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write about them meeting family members, more than just Sarah’s parents, so we all knew Aunt Miranda was coming.  
> This is set sometime after Rex and the City because I make a reference to it at one point.

Charlie had just finished dinner and was watching tv with Rex when Aunt Miranda called him. After the incident at her retirement home, he’d made an effort to spend more time with her, and they usually had dinner every week or two. After talking about their days, Charlie asked, “the usual place tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Oh, and Charlie?”

“Yes Aunt Miranda?”

“Bring that girl Sarah with you.”

Confusion filled him, Aunt Miranda had never asked for Sarah to join before.  
“Sarah? Like my Sarah?”

There was a pause before she spoke, the amusement clear in her voice.  
“ _Your_ Sarah, eh Charlie?”

_Yikes_. He was never going to live down his slip of the tongue but he hurriedly tried to explain himself.  
“No, she’s not _my_ Sarah, I just meant that she works with me, in my place of work, hence the my.”

“Mhmm, sure thing Charlie,” clearly she didn’t believe anything he said, but ignoring his sigh, she said, “just bring her would you? I love you and Rex but it’d be nice having some female visitors for a change.” 

Charlie rolled his eyes, but agreed, and Miranda hung up. He turned to Rex.  
“Guess we’re going to ask Sarah to come with us pal.”  
Rex happily barked. 

The next morning, Charlie popped into Sarah's lab, automatically smiling as he met her smiling eyes.  
“Hey Charlie, Rex.”

Rex barked in response and he grinned.  
“Hey Sarah. Busy day planned?”

Moving around as she sorted things out, she replied, “Yup. I have a few court cases and then lab work to finish up for other cases.”

“Do you think you’ll be done by the evening?”

She turned around to face him, a teasing smile on her face.  
“Why, you asking me to dinner or something?”

He laughed, knowing she’d asked as a joke, and said, “yeah actually, I am.”  
She froze and looked at him in surprise so he quickly added, “don’t get your hopes up too much though, I’m having dinner with Aunt Miranda, and she asked for you to come as well.”  
The surprise changed to slight confusion, and chuckling, he added, “she said she’s sick of us boys and wants some female visitors for a change.”

Sarah laughed.  
“I can definitely hear her saying that.”

Rolling his eyes, he said, “yeah well, I feel like I should be offended by that,” she laughed, and smiling, he asked, “do you think you’ll be able to make it?”

“I love your aunt, so I’m saying yes. Even if it means I’m so busy getting stuff done that you won’t see me at all today.”

“Usually that’d be sad news, but it's okay if I don’t see you during the day, at least I’m spending the night with you.”  
Both he and Sarah froze at his words.   
Had he just said that?  
He immediately backtracked.  
“I didn’t mean… that… I mean, not in _that_ way, just that… we're having dinner, together, and with aunt Miranda there.”

After a few beats of silence, Sarah burst into laughter at his embarrassment, he was glad she wasn’t reading too much into his misspeak, and shooing him out of the lab with the file in her hand, said, “leave, I have a lot to get done before coming with you and I can’t afford any distractions.”

“I promise to try not to be too distracting,” he said, finishing with a wink, and when she only shook her head and laughed, he grinned, and calling Rex, they walked towards the office. 

After the end of a long day, he walked to the lab and seeing them in the doorway, Sarah looked up from the folder she was working on.  
“Give me a minute. I just need to finish this last thing then we’re good to go.”  
He nodded, using the time to play with Rex, and a minute or so later she was done and they walked to the car park, piling into his car.   
They started driving and Sarah asked, “so where are we eating?”

“There’s this cosy Mexican place a short walk from the retirement home. The food is always amazing, and the best thing is, they allow dogs.”

Sarah laughed as she leaned around her seat to pet Rex.  
“Of course, that’s the most important thing.”  
Rex barked in agreement, and laughing, they spent the rest of the ride over catching each other up about their day.  
Arriving, they parked, and walking into the lobby, they saw Aunt Miranda who smiled as she saw them.

Charlie moved forward to hug her and after pulling away, Miranda looked behind him with a smile.  
“I see you bought Rex, and your Sarah!”

Charlie froze, and as he stared his aunt down, who only grinned, he could feel the confusion from Sarah as she moved next to him and said, “hello again Miranda.”

His aunt chuckled.  
“Hello Sarah dear,” and looking at them both, said, “and I mean nothing by that, just that she works in the same place as you Charlie, hence the _your_."  
He grumbled under his breath, not believing a word she said because they sounded too familiar, but ignoring him and turning to Sarah, who still looked slightly surprised, she said, "I know many Sarah’s, so it’s just an easier way to remember who’s who,” and shrugging, she added, “what can I say, my age is finally catching up to me."

Sarah warmly smiled at her.  
"You look as young and as lively as ever Miranda."

Miranda beamed at Sarah and, whispering so only his aunt could hear, he muttered, “and as cheeky as ever.”  
He only got a wink in response as she moved past him to greet Rex, and soon Miranda, Sarah, and Rex started walking outside, the two women falling into easy conversation.   
Charlie reluctantly smiled as he walked to catch up to them. His aunt may have her meddling ways, but he found that it brought him a lot of joy seeing her and Sarah get along. 

The 10 minute walk was spent by Miranda filling them in on the gossip from the retirement home, and Charlie didn’t know if his aunt had an amazing imagination or if he should be considering opening an investigation into some of the questionable activities happening there.   
Sarah just laughed, finding great amusement in the animated way Miranda told them everything.   
They arrived and were seated in the sheltered corner outside, and Charlie couldn’t help his smile at seeing Sarah’s eyes light up as she took in the surroundings.   
There were lots of hanging plants, twinkling lights, colourful decorations, and the heaters made it feel warm and cosy even though they were outside.   
As they sat around the round table, Rex happily at their feet, Charlie said, “it’s quite something, huh?”

Sarah grinned.  
“This place is _gorgeous_.”

Aunt Miranda smiled at seeing how much Sarah loved it and said sincerely, “you’re welcome to join Charlie, Rex and I anytime, dear. I’d love it and I’m sure you could use the break from time to time.”

Sarah smiled at her, then him, saying, “I might just take you up on that.”

Charlie smiled.  
“That’s good to hear,” and Rex happily barked as well, agreeing wholeheartedly. 

Sarah smiled as she picked up the menu, and soon they were discussing what to order, ending up getting a handful of dishes to share between them all.  
While they waited for the food to arrive, Aunt Miranda asked about his latest case, and for once he was happy to tell her about it because they’d already wrapped it up.   
The food arrived just as he was finishing up, and his mouth started watering at the dishes that were placed onto the table. They spent the first few minutes digging in, even Rex getting a few sneaky tastes from them all, and gushing about how amazing it all tasted.

Once they slowed down a bit, Aunt Miranda looked at Sarah, an inquisitive twinkle in her eye, and said, “so Sarah, do you have a man in the picture? Or a woman?”

Sarah laughed, and though Charlie had a suspicion his aunt would ask at some point, he thought it’d be a bit later on.  
Fixing her with a look, he said, “I think that’s none of your business Aunt Miranda.”

His aunt opened her mouth to protest, but Sarah put a hand on his arm and said with a smile, “no it’s okay,” and turning to Miranda, said, “I had a long distance relationship some time back, but it was proving to be too difficult. We ultimately broke up.”

Genuine sympathy came in his aunt's expression, and she put a hand over Sarah’s.   
“I’m sorry dear, that must’ve been hard.”

Sarah smiled sadly.   
“It was, but it was for the best in the long run.”

“That’s wise, and as I always say, when it’s the one, you’ll know, and clearly that person hadn’t been yours. That means yours is still out there, you just have to keep an eye open, you’ll never know when they’ll come into your life or if they’re already in it.”

Sarah nodded while smiling softly, and turning to him, quietly said, “let fate take over.”

He returned her smile, understanding the reference, and a moment later they turned back to face Miranda who was studying him with an interested look.   
Charlie held in a sigh.  
He knew he was never going to hear the end of it, but just hoped that she waited till Sarah was gone to talk about it.

Thankfully, she didn’t comment on it, instead saying, “it’s the same thing I told Charlie after he _finally_ told me he and Julia split. Like I hadn’t already figured it out,” she added with a scoff.

Sarah looked at him with a laugh then turned back to Miranda.  
“You knew all this time?”

Waving her fork, she replied, “it doesn’t take a detective to figure out why I haven’t been seeing Julia recently, or why Charlie doesn’t mention her.”

Sarah chuckled, but feeling slightly defensive, he said, “I was just trying to find the right way to tell you. I know you liked her so I wanted to break it to you gently.”

His aunt only scoffed.  
“I’ve lived a long life Charlie, one with many experiences, both good and bad, and even some I can’t really tell you about given your profession,” he raised an eyebrow but wasn’t really sure if he wanted her to explain. Sarah only laughed.  
Giving them both a mischievous wink, she continued.  
“Anyway, my point is that I’m not some innocent, fragile old woman who needs to be sheltered from the truth. Besides, I just want what’s best for you Charlie, and if Julia isn’t it, then that’s fine.”

He nodded, knowing that was true and smiled appreciatively at her, and grinning fondly at his aunt, Sarah said, “I don’t think I could ever mistake you for an innocent, fragile old woman.”

Amusement twinkling in Miranda’s eye, she nodded approvingly at Sarah.  
“I knew I liked you dear.”

Charlie rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but grin at the exchange.

They soon finished up, and after paying, started the walk back. The night air was cold, but hey huddled together as they walked, his aunt, Sarah, then him, so Rex could move freely by his side.   
The walk was made with his aunt telling his embarrassing childhood stories with great amusement. Usually he’d try and stop her, but the way that Sarah was laughing and the amusement dancing in her eyes stopped him from saying anything, and though he feigned annoyance, he enjoyed it just as much as her.   
Before long, they were back in the lobby. 

Aunt Miranda smiled at them.  
“Well, this is me,” and pulling him into a hug, instead of saying goodbye, she whispered, “you know, don’t you?”

He said nothing as he pulled back, feigning ignorance. He had long since suspected that Sarah was _the one_ , but he didn't want to rush into anything, and admitting that he knew that fact to his aunt would inevitably lead to things moving faster than he was comfortable.   
The look in Miranda's eyes however, showed that she wasn't fooled. 

She chuckled, patting his shoulder, then turned to Sarah with her arms open.  
"I’m a hugger dear, and I’m afraid I must insist.” 

Sarah smiled and hugged her, and Charlie was glad that the only words he could hear his aunt say was, ‘it was lovely spending more time with you dear.’  
He loved his aunt, but didn’t trust her _not_ to meddle in his love life.   
They pulled apart and the three of them turned to face Rex as he barked.  
His aunt chuckled as she crouched down.  
“Don’t worry Rex, I haven’t forgotten about you.”  
After hugging him and scratching his head, she stood up with a smile on her face.   
“Well. My nightly tv show is calling my name, I had a lovely time today,” and turning to Sarah, added, “I hope to see you on our next dinner, dear.”

Sarah warmly smiled at her.  
“I’d like that as well.”

Aunt Miranda returned the smile, and after a few more goodbyes, and one last pat for Rex, she left.   
The three of them walked outside, and Charlie couldn’t help his smile as Sarah automatically stood closer to him as they stepped into the cold night air.   
“Thanks for coming Sarah. It meant a lot to Aunt Miranda, and me.”

She warmly smiled up at him.   
“Of course. Besides, I really like your aunt.”

Charlie chuckled as they walked to his car.  
“Trust me, I think she likes you even more.”


	3. Charlie’s Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think we’ve gotten any information about Charlie's parents (if we have, I've completely forgotten) so I’ve made up their characters from scratch.  
> Also, while this chapter is a good story, I kinda just got carried away with it and tbh I’m not sure if it’s completely in character or not, but I enjoyed writing it, so oh well.  
> Let me know what you guys think, enjoy :)

They’d just wrapped a case and given that they were done with the evening to spare, something that didn’t happen very often, Charlie went down to the lab with a plan in mind.  
He grinned seeing Sarah packing up, and as Rex sat patiently in the doorway while he walked in, he asked, “feels nice to wrap up early right?”

Files in hand, she turned around and grinned.  
“Feels slightly weird, but I’ll gladly take it.”

“Any plans for the rest of the evening?”

Putting the files away, she answered, “nope. I need to make dinner and plan to read the book that I’ve been neglecting,” and turning around with an eyebrow raised, asked, “why?”

He grinned at her.  
“Well. You’ve been getting on me to buy less takeout and cook more -” 

“You’re living like I did in college, and trust me," she said raising an eyebrow, "that’s not a good thing.”

He laughed, saying, “that’s fair. So I looked over the recipes you sent me, and the pho looked really nice, so I bought the ingredients, but I was hoping, if you don’t mind, that you could help me out.”

A grin lit up her face.  
“Of course! Give me a second to pack up for the day.”  
He nodded, and as she cleared her desk and shut down her computer, he grabbed her blazer and purse from where it sat.  
She smiled at him and they walked out to the car park, Rex by their side.  
They set off, Sarah following behind in her car and around 20 minutes later, he was unlocking his door as she pulled up.

He took off his leather jacket and Sarah, following suit, took off her blazer then her shoes, wearing his house slippers.  
When he raised an eyebrow at that action, though he secretly loved how comfortable she was making herself, she said, "hey, these floors are cold, besides, it's _your_ house. I'm sure you have extra socks or something you can easily wear instead."

He laughed, acknowledging her point, and they moved to the kitchen. As he pulled everything out, Sarah rifled through it and chuckled.  
"This is a _lot_ of ingredients for just the two of us," and when Rex barked, she amended with a laugh, "three of us."

Charlie laughed as well, then said, “well, if you don’t mind, I was thinking of making extra so I can serve it tomorrow.”

She turned, onions in hand.  
“Oh yeah, your parents are coming tomorrow.” 

“Yup, and they’ll be very impressed when dinner is something that I’ve actually made myself,” and shooting her a grin, added, “with invaluable help of course.”

Grinning back, she set him to work prepping all the vegetables while she started on the broth. Turning the radio on, and grinning when jazz filled the room, he was about to say something when he saw that Sarah seemed cold.  
"Hey, sorry Sarah, I know it takes a while for this house to heat up."

"It's okay, I get cold easily, I'll be fine soon."

Looking at her blazer thrown on the back of the couch, he asked, "you want your jacket?" 

She looked over her shoulder, and then turning back to the pot, replied, "nah, I'll warm up soon enough. Besides, a blazer is what I wear to work and I can't cook comfortably in one."

Putting the knife down, he said, "I'll be right back," and walked out of the room. Searching through his closet, Charlie found his cosy flannel jacket which he knew Sarah would like, and he was proven right when her eyes lit up.  
"Oh that looks _perfect_."  
He grinned as he helped her put it on and warmth spread through his chest as she snuggled into it.  
Trying to hide his huge smile, he turned back to his chopping board but sneaking a glance back, he saw her looking much more comfortable. 

They spent the next hour cooking, dancing and singing to the music, effortlessly moving around each other and Rex in the kitchen.  
Charlie ignored how domestic it all felt and how… natural… it was. Something about him, Sarah and Rex spending the evening cooking together just felt… right.  
He quickly put that thought out of his mind for now though, wanting to enjoy the moment and not get too lost in his head. 

The smell of the pho was filling the space and his mouth watered.  
"I can _not_ wait for this to be ready."

Rex barked, and laughing, Sarah said, "I know, you're excited too Rex. It's just a few more minutes."

The doorbell suddenly rang, and confused about who it was, he said, "this is the one time where it's definitely not pizza."

Sarah laughed, and as she turned back to check on the pho, he walked to the door with Rex in tow.  
Opening the door, he froze.  
"Mom, dad?"

His mom pulled him into a hug, saying, "we got a leave a day early, surprise!" 

Slightly shocked from the unexpected visit, he didn't know what to say, and after his dad hugged him, he said, "smells good Charlie. It's about time you learnt to cook." 

Before Charlie could say anything, Rex bounded up and enthusiastically greeted his parents, loving the attention he got from them.  
He suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind him and Sarah’s voice grew louder as she walked closer.  
“Charlie who is -”

Everyone froze slightly, and before he could explain the situation, he knew what it must look like especially since Sarah was wearing his clothes, his mom said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Though if Charlie had _told me_ he was no longer single,” she gave him a stern look, “we would have called before showing up unannounced.”

With a slightly embarrassed chuckle, Sarah quickly said, "oh, no, Charlie and I aren't together."

Both his parents looked slightly confused, and his mother looked at him pointedly, probably seeing that Sarah was wearing his shoes and jacket. He hurried to explain their relationship.  
“Oh, no, this is my… friend, the chief of forensics -”

“Sarah.”  
He and Sarah stared at his mother in surprise, and even more confused by the recognition in her eyes, he knew she hadn’t met Sarah before, he said, “Yeah. How’d you know?”

A knowing smile on her face, she replied, “Miranda and I have our weekly calls. She’s told me a bit about Sarah here.”

Sarah chuckled and he could sense the slight nervousness in it.  
“Only good things I hope?”

His mother laughed.  
“No need to worry dear, my sister was singing your praises.”

Sarah laughed, both surprised and pleased, but Charlie narrowed his eyes slightly at his mother.  
“Aunt Miranda needs to know how to mind her own business.”

Brushing off his look, she replied, “well if you’d call as often as she does, I wouldn’t need to get your life updates from her,” and laughing, his dad added, “she’s got you there son.”  
Charlie grumbled slightly, he loved his parents, he really did, but they were making him feel like he was a teenager again and it was slightly embarrassing, especially in front of Sarah, but turning to her, he saw she was trying to stifle a laugh so he rolled his eyes but relaxed slightly.

A smile wide in his face, his dad stepped forward reaching out to shake Sarah’s hand.  
“Sorry for all of this, I’m Stewart by the way.”

She shook his hand with a smile, and as his mom pulled her in for a hug, she said, “and I’m Christie.”

Looking at the both of them with a smile, Sarah said, “it’s lovely to finally meet you Mr and Mrs Hudson.”

His mom waved her hand.  
“No need for the formalities, Stewart and Christie works just fine.”

Sarah smiled and nodded, then looking slightly unsure of herself, she said, “well… I’ll just leave you all catch up and -”

"Nonsense dear, we definitely want you to stay. The more the merrier."

Completely agreeing with his dad, Charlie added, "besides, we made enough for all four of us," and when Rex barked, he laughed and added, "sorry Rex, five of us."

Sarah looked from his parents to him, and when he nodded, she smiled.  
"Okay, I'm staying. Besides, the pho smells amazing and I'm quite hungry."

His parents agreed, and as they all walked towards the kitchen, Rex in tow, his mom asked Sarah, "the pho really does smell amazing. Where did you get the recipe?" 

"It's my mother's, she did a lot of trial and error to perfect it." 

Charlie laughed.  
"Oh yeah, given her personality, I have no doubt that she'd do that, with scientific precision." 

Sarah laughed but his mother looked at him with an eyebrow raised.  
"You've met her parents?" 

Charlie opened his mouth to reply, but Sarah got there first, amusement twinkling in her eyes.  
“Yup, and he was _terrified_ of my mother.”

“Hey! I thought you were meant to be on my side,” she only laughed, and turning to his grinning parents, he said, “I wasn’t terrified, just slightly wary, especially since Sarah had just been shot because she was out in the field with me.” 

His parents turned to Sarah, looking at her with concern and she hurried to reassure them.  
“It was some time ago, I’m perfectly fine now. And in Charlie’s defence, my mother wasn’t hiding her disappointment at all.”

“I’ll admit that she _was_ slightly intimidating, especially since I didn’t understand what she was telling you when you guys were talking in Vietnamese,” his parents laughed, and fixing his gaze on Sarah, he asked, “what were you guys talking about anyway?”

Not _quite_ meeting his eyes, she said, “just telling me off for getting into trouble.”  
Hmmm, why didn’t he quite believe that? But before he could comment on it, Sarah quickly continued while looking at him.  
“Why don’t you give your parents a tour of the house and I’ll finish up.”

Amused by her change of topic, but not wanting her to feel as if she had to finish the cooking by herself, he asked, “are you sure?”

“There's just a little bit left. Besides,” she added with a laugh, “I’m not leaving you to oversee it.”

Before he could defend himself, his mother laughed.  
“Smart choice Sarah, smart choice.”

Sarah and his dad laughed and Charlie couldn’t help but huff at all of them ganging up on him, though secretly he loved how well they were getting along.  
“Okay, I can take a hint,” and motioning to his parents, said, “c’mon, I’ll take you guys on the tour.”  
Rex stayed behind, happy to follow Sarah especially since she was with the food. 

Charlie knew, as soon as they were alone, one of his parents would comment on the situation they’d walked in on and his mom didn’t disappoint.  
“So… Sarah seems lovely.”

“She is.”

His parents chuckled at his reply but they continued, his parents filling him in on what was happening in their lives as he continued showing them around. In the hallway, his mom’s gaze landed on the hanging painting of the dogs playing poker.  
“This isn’t my taste, definitely yours though, but I’m glad to see that you’re actually buying artwork to spruce up this place.”

Clearing his throat slightly, Charlie said, “thanks, though I didn’t actually buy that, it was a gift… from Sarah.”  
His mother turned to him with an eyebrow raised, both his parents not being able to hide their smiles, and shaking his head, Charlie said, “Okay, moving on.”  
They said nothing else, but followed him with smiles on their faces. 

They completed the rest of the tour without incident and walked back into the main space to see Sarah carrying the large pot of steaming pho to the dinner table and he walked to the kitchen to grab the bowls.  
The pho smelt amazing, and clearly he wasn’t the only one who thought so because Rex stood up on his back legs, putting his paws on the table. He was about to tell him off when Sarah got there first.  
“Nope, I don’t think so Rex. _Down_.”  
Charlie couldn't help but be impressed as Rex immediately moved back down, and when he whined slightly, Sarah laughed and added, "I'll give you some Rex, but in your bowl, not on the table."

Understanding, Rex barked happily as he walked over to Sarah, nudging her leg in apology, and as she reached down to scratch him behind the ear, his dad laughed.  
"Rex clearly loves you." 

Charlie grinned, he loved how close Rex was with Sarah, and as his mom passed him with cutlery for the table, she whispered low enough so only he heard.  
"And maybe he's not the only one."  
His head snapped to his mom, but she only chuckled as she walked past. 

Shaking his head at his mom’s antics, he went to join her and his dad at the table, and after giving Rex a bit in his bowl, Sarah joined them.  
They started eating and everyone complimented the food, Sarah blushing slightly under all the praise which, quite frankly, he found adorable. They talked about family recipes, family, work, and Charlie didn’t think there was anyone else who could so effortlessly join him and his parents for dinner.  
He realised that his mom hadn’t asked Sarah if she had anyone in her life right now and was pleasantly surprised, until it hit him that she’d probably already gotten that information from aunt Miranda.  
He’d definitely have to talk to his aunt. 

Looking around as he dished out more for her, his mom said, "I really love your new house Charlie, it's nice and big… like a family home, for more than just a man and his dog."

Charlie looked disbelievingly at her as he handed her the bowl back.  
"Wow. Real subtle mom." 

She tsked at his tone and he turned to Sarah who was pressing her lips together, but he could see the laughter in her eyes. He rolled his own, glad someone was enjoying his embarrassment, then turned to his mom as she added, "it’s been many years since Julia, it’s time you move on,” and leaving no pause for him to put an end to this, she continued.  
“I’m sure you can find a lovely partner if you’d try. You’re a nice, handsome young man and I’m sure you’re a catch with the ladies.”

Clearly not able to hold it in anymore, Sarah started laughing and he looked at her a roll of his eyes. She only laughed harder.  
He turned back to his mother, slightly confused because she wasn’t usually this intrusive about his love life, but as he saw matching looks of barely concealed amusement on both of his parents' faces, realization dawned.  
They were trying to embarrass him, presumably in front of Sarah, and because he couldn't really call them out on it right now, he had to take it in silence.  
He did however give his mom a discrete glance, letting her know he was on to her.  
She only smiled. 

Thankfully the topic of his love life was dropped there but, instead, his parents started telling embarrassing stories of his childhood, much like Aunt Miranda had when meeting Sarah. And just like he’d felt with this aunt, if it was anyone other than Sarah he’d try and stop his parents, but he didn’t want to stop the source of her face lighting up, even if it was at his expense.  
After a particularly embarrassing story, one including a six year old trying to impress his crush, a cape, a broken leg, and the incorrect belief that humans could grow wings if they fell from a height, say from a tree, Sarah was practically crying of laughter, his parents joining in, and even Rex seemed like he was laughing.  
Charlie couldn’t help but join in, finding the story funny in his adulthood, though he hadn’t appreciated the endless teasing he’d gotten as a child, and loving how well everyone was getting along. 

The rest of dinner passed in just as much amusement and after finishing up, Charlie pulled out a bottle of wine and four glasses but Sarah looked at him then his parents with an apologetic smile.  
“I think I’ll head off.”

“Please stay!” and with a genuine smile on her face, his mom added,”Stewart and I are loving your company!”

A smile lit up Sarah’s face.  
“And I’m enjoying yours too, but I have to drive home, so I’ll just leave you three to enjoy that wine.”

There had been many times when Sarah had stayed over for drinks at his house and had stayed the night in the guest room so she didn’t have to drive, so he couldn’t help but automatically say, “you can just stay the night.”  
His parents turned to face him, an inquisitive twinkle in their eyes while Sarah looked slightly uncomfortable, and in efforts to explain, he quickly added, “in the guest room like usual of course.”

His parents hid a smile, and giving a slightly embarrassed chuckle, Sarah said, “no, your parents are sleeping there -” _oh right, of course_ , “besides, I do need to head home anyway.”

“Fair enough dear,” and pulling Sarah in for a hug, his mom added, “it was truly lovely meeting you dear.”

“Likewise Christie.”

His dad then also pulled her in for a quick hug and said, “let’s hope we meet again sometime soon.”

“I’d really like that Stewart,” and as he let go, he added, “dinner was simply amazing, and thank you for helping Charlie to make it. I’m sure if he’d tried to make the pho by himself this beautiful new house would’ve burnt down.”

Sarah and his mom chuckled, and even Rex barked, and Charlie rolled his eyes, but at the mention of the pho, he asked Sarah, “there's a fair amount left. Do you want me to pack some and bring it tomorrow for your lunch?”

Sarah’s eyes lit up.  
“Oh yes please!”

He nodded then walked with her to the door, Rex following them both, and suddenly seeming to remember she was wearing his things, she took off the slippers and jacket, handing the latter to him with a slightly shy smile.  
“Thanks for this.”

He grinned back.  
“Of course,” and holding out his forearm for her to lean on as she put on her shoes, which she took with a grateful grin, he added, “thanks for all this.”

Her expression exuding warmth, she said, “of course, it was nice to finally meet your parents. They’re lovely.”

He grinned.  
“They definitely feel the same about you.”

She laughed.  
“Good to know,” and with a final scratch for Rex and a wave to his parents, she smiled at him, “see you tomorrow.”

“Yup. And remember,” he added with a laugh, “you don’t have to bring lunch tomorrow.”  
She smiled, and with a final wave for everyone she was off, and closing the door behind him, he turned around to meet the smiling gazes of his parents.  
He sighed.  
“Fine. Let it out.” 

His mom's grin only grew.  
“So… Sarah huh?”

“Just a friend mom, just a friend.”  
Neither of his parents looked convinced and he held in a sigh. It was going to be a long few days.


End file.
